Heartful
by FishyFried
Summary: They say the time of unrequited love was the happiest. Cordelia wanted to stab them with her spear. [Cordelia x Chrom]


**Heartful  
**". . ._a Fire Emblem Fanfic"_

Fire Emblem Intelligence Systems & Nintendo

By: FishyFried

* * *

The name Cordelia, according to her now long deceased mother, was Latin for 'heart'. Her mother had decided on the name after her father fell to illness and passed away when she was still a newborn. She would stroke her daughter's scarlet colored hair and tell her how her father was a man with a strong will and a lot of heart. Her mother hoped she would inherit that trait.

However, now at eighteen years old, Cordelia finds herself with just that. _Too much heart._

Her superiors called her dutiful, ready to risk her life and limb but still a soldier that could be sacrificed if need be. Her comrades called her reliable, serious, a soldier that anyone could count on in any situation but a bit too cold and stoic. And her some of her friends called her frigid, a perfectionist, but overall tolerable.

But _he_…

He called her passionate.

The kind, the oh-so kind Prince of Ylisse had called her passionate.

Passionate and loving. A heart with too much love and not a soul to share it with.

And he was all she needed when she left her poor mother at the young age of twelve. Packing nothing but her harp and the ruby ring, a family heirloom, given to her on her tenth birthday.

She never had the footwork or speed to become a land soldier so she was enlisted as a member of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights and within five years, she was assigned the duty of protecting the royal family. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw Sumia at the Knight's graduation ceremony as well. They were childhood friends and they always shared the same passions but who knew it would lead them down the same path?

Her position brought in enough gold to support herself and her gradually aging mother. It provided her with an opportunity to change the country, to change the lives of people like her mother. She even made friends - Phila, who taught her how to properly dodge an archer's arrow and Fredrick, who put aside time to spare with her daily. And she was able to keep a part of her past alive with Sumia, a friend Cordelia loved and trusted like a sister separated at birth. She found herself enjoying the times spent with Sumia, grooming their pegasi. Cordelia's Pegasus was named Aspera and she was one of the hardest to tame of her group but one look at the scarlet haired woman and she immediately flattened her wings in approval. Needless to say, they've been quite the dynamic duo since. And if she was truly feeling lonely at night, she would sit next to her window and pull her harp out, playing the first tune that came to mind. Sometimes she even sang along with them if the mood was right.

And it took her two years knighthood training to find out how absolutely off-limits, how sinfully taboo the Prince of Ylisse was to a common soldier.

"Duty," Phila had often told her, "Duty comes before your heart. You are in this position because Prince Chrom trusts you. Do not let affection cloud your actions."

Cordelia liked to think herself as a fighter in love. She wouldn't give him up for duty, she could protect him and love him at the same time. She wouldn't give up his soft smiles whenever they passed each other in the corridor, his gentle glances when they had council meeting and definitely not his tender touches whenever they had a rare moment during a dance at some party they both happened to attend.

She told herself that for two years.

But two years was a long time.

Enough time to hear about all the royal bachelorettes that the Prince had been seeing. Enough time to learn about his interest to wed a princess and pass the Brand of the Exalt to his child. Enough time to realize that a love between a prince and a common soldier would be impossible.

Enough time for a foolish, day dreaming, love struck girl to grow into a matured, level-headed battle maiden.

_And some things, no matter how hard you wish for, just cannot be._

And before she knew it, July rolled around and she turned twenty.

She had had adapted this habit of sighing whenever her mind was unfocused. And she found herself thinking about her mother more often, but Chrom still occupied most of her thoughts.

The strong, brave and kind Prince of Ylisse was turning twenty soon as well. His coming of age ceremony was just around the corner.

He would marry soon and bear children to continue the Ylissean lineage.

He would forget about the scarlet haired girl he met oh, so long ago. Forget about his words to her that changed her world. Forget about the two small, wing-shaped hair clips he shyly gave her on the night of her eighteenth birthday.

He would forget he once knew a girl named Cordelia.

Who had… just a bit too much heart.

* * *

It was cold. This winter was colder than anything she had ever dealt with. Riding in this wind made it significantly worse. The biting cold only amplified her pain.

Cordelia panted as the winter wind blew relentlessly at her face. She clutched the still bleeding wound on her right shoulder and noted that one of her ribs were probably broken. She grimaced at the pain but it did not deter her from her destination. Although this wasn't the normal feeling that she enjoyed when riding her Pegasus, she truthfully hoped that there would never come another time where she was forced to fly Aspera at speeds thought to be impossible when she was so injured.

But it was inevitable. She had one last duty to perform before she could succumb to her grief.

_"A-An ambush! Plegian troops at the border! We're vastly outnumbered!"_

Countless lifeless faces and dead pegasi… all slain. It was a massacre. The knights wouldn't surrender and the Pegasi wouldn't abandon their masters. They had been foolish to think they could protect the small village sitting innocently at the Ylisse-Plegia border with a mere 50 Pegasus knights.

_"Cordelia, please. You must go! Inform Commander Phila and the lady Exalt as quickly as possible."_

Her eyes shut briefly and she felt tears sting the corner of her eyes. She clutched Aspera's ropes tightly. She had not wanted to leave them, all of those girls, some younger than her…

_"This is an order, Cordelia! Leave right n-"_

The scarlet haired Pegasus knight covered her sob with a gloved hand. Commander Faria had not even finished her sentence before an arrow pierced through her heart, ending her life. Their commander was a strong-headed, courageous woman who never wanted to surrender to those damn Plegians, anyone could see that. And yet she sent Cordelia away, knowing that the battle would be lost. She did not want to lose one of her youngest and most talented soldiers and because… Cordelia was like a daughter to her. A daughter she could never have as soon as she swore her loyalty to become a knight.

They called her a genius, they called her perfectionist, they call her the girl who had it all… But she couldn't even save her comrades in a time of need.

Unable to hold her anguish in any longer, Cordelia buried her face into Aspera's silvery mane. The Pegasus was tempted to look back at her partner but could sense that she would only feel shame at her moment of weakness. So she looked onwards, beating her wings as fast as possible. She would not let her down, not like everybody else. She would be strong when her master could not. She would make it back to the Ylisse Castle with unmatched speed and let her master complete her final duty to her squad.

And when Cordelia needed it, she would be there to listen to her cries and heartbreak. She couldn't offer her words of comfort but she would always be there when the scarlet haired girl needed company. She would hear how her master failed her squadron, how she regretted not dying by their side and how she lost her second mother and countless friends.

After all, the tie between Pegasus and the master it chooses has always been unbreakable.

* * *

There was pain. Immense pain. Almost unbearable. It was the only thing she could feel when she came to.

Cordelia groaned softly as she tried to move. She looked down and found herself naked and almost fully bandaged. She gently placed a hand over her stomach and grimaced at the pain. Yeah, her rib was definitely broken. All in all, there was nothing too life-threatening.

Next, she examined her surroundings. It didn't take long to realize that she was probably in a guest room in the East wing of the Ylisse castle. She was in a king sized bed with two drawers beside her. She noticed her clothes were folded neatly next to her breastplate and her precious hairclips were lying right next to her spear. Sitting up slightly, she looked outside the window. Judging from the pitch blackness outside, it was already well into the night.

The door flew open and she saw a flash of blonde hair.

"You're awake! Thank the Gods!"

The Pegasus knight raised her head and found herself face to face with a crying Lissa and Fredrick standing beside her.

Oh, that's right…

She remembered storming into the castle, ignoring the guard's pleas to calm down and get her wounds treated. Her wounds were nothing compared to her comrade's death, it would not deter her.

But what happened after that? She vaguely recalled interrupting some war meeting… Everything was blurred except for Phila and as soon as she saw the general, she spewed out some non-sense gibberish in the heat of the moment about the Plegian border and promptly passed out.

Fredrick cleared his throat, interrupting her from her thoughts. "We are aware of the situation now. It is a tragedy but we are glad you are safe, Cordelia. Phila tells me she would like to see you at the soonest opportunity."

"Fredrick!" Lissa hollered, giving the knight a childish glare. "She's injured! She's supposed to be resting! I don't care how urgent it is, Phila can wait, I don't want to have to call Maribelle over to help me heal her again. Do you have any idea how long it took to patch up her shattered rib?"

Cordelia smiled warmly. It had been so long since she saw Lissa and Fredrick. They were the exact same as two years before, even when they argued - Lissa, caring and innocent while Fredrick, dutiful and direct.

"I'll go see Phila right now, " she told them, trying to get out the bed without wincing in pain. "Don't worry about me, princess, you and Maribelle have done a wonderful job, I feel as good as new! So Fredrick, I'll go now if that's al-"

"Don't give me that look, Fredrick!" Lissa continued arguing. They were both caught up in their own world. "You obey Chrom like his lapdog! Listen to me sometimes, I'm a princess, y'know? What I say goes too!"

She saw Fredrick rub his temples together in aggravation. "Milady, this isn't Lord Chrom's order, it's Phila's. I'm not even sure if the lord knows Cordelia is here, last I saw he was in the kitchen with Sumia so your argument is-"

"I don't care! I'm not talking about just now, I'm talking about every time you-"

And before that conversation escalated to the point of no return, Cordelia sneaked out the door, completely unnoticed by the two. She had managed to grab her red cloth dress, the one she wore underneath her breastplate, and her fur boots. It wasn't appropriate attire considering the cold weather outside but it was all she could get her hands on for now. She even forgot to grab the wing shaped hairclip Chrom gave her on the drawer.

One she exited the room, she found herself in the main corridor of the Ylisse castle, a hall that she was familiar with ever since childhood. It was where she would most often see Chrom when she was a teen. By mere coincidence, if they both walked through the corridor at the same time, he would give her a polite bow and ask her about her day. She would always return the greeting with a beet red face but their encounter always ended the same: he would return to his duties and she would watch his back disappear as he left.

Always his back. That's the only place her gaze belonged.

An unexpected smell caught her attention and distracted her from Fredrick's request. She recognized that smell.. hmm, there was rhubarb and… fiddlehead? Curious, she followed the scent and found herself at the entrance of the royal kitchen. It was not uncommon for servants to be caught testing recipes or a council member rummaging through for a midnight snack so she shouldn't be so surprised but rhubarb and fiddlehead together was such an… unusual mixture.

Cordelia leaned closer to the entrance. The door was open and the lights clearly indicated someone was inside.

"Here, just finished! Why don't you give it a try?"

Her eyes widened. She recognized the voice immediately. Sumia.

"Well, Sumia!" a significantly deeper voice exclaimed. " Usually rhubarb makes me queasy, but not this time! This has to be the best pie I've ever tasted."

Every cell in Cordelia's body froze in that instant.

_Oh, that voice…_

Of course! She nearly face palmed. Of course she had the rotten luck to meet Chrom! This was his freaking castle! What was she thinking? How did everything slip from her mind?

Sumia let out a soft giggle, "I'm glad you like it, Chrom. The first person that I baked it for didn't really like the flavor so I always try to improvise and I decided to try a new reci- Oh my God! Is that Cordelia?"

Chrom followed Sumia's gaze. His eyes widened and Cordelia felt a shiver run through her spine. She didn't think she was seen until she realized her body was practically standing directly in their line of sight. Oh Gods, it had been _years _since she last saw Chrom. She had done a magnificent job hiding her feelings, concealing her longing, she'd be damned to let it all be ruined now.

"It's been a while, Sumia," she bowed politely, avoiding Chrom's surprised gaze. "I apologize for interrupting you, my lord. I'll be on my way now."

She was about to turn and leave when a stronger hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with surprisingly strength. Bewildered, her instincts acted immediately and she snapped her hand out of the sudden grip. Her head turned and she found herself staring at the Ylissean prince's worried cobalt eyes.

_No, please don't do this, Chrom. You may think your touches are innocent but I… I cannot do this._

"Cordelia," he whispered, backing off this time to give her space. "What happened to you? There are bandages everywhere… Are you hurt badly?"

Her heart was both touched and unhappy at his concern. Of course he was worried, she was one of his royal knights after all. Chrom was a wonderful prince who cared about the safety of all his people. Not just her… Meaning, he would definitely be disappointed in her. She who abandoned her dead comrades…

"My squad and I were fighting Plegian forces at the border," she informed him, her head held high, her eyes hard. There was nothing to hide from him, not her lord, he would give her the punishment he deemed necessary. "There was an ambush and everyone was killed. The commander sent me away to notify your party but that was my mistake. I should have stayed and died with my squad, it was just as much my duty as theirs and I-"

"Enough," Chrom cut her off. He took a deep breath. "I know you don't want pity right now, Cordelia, so I wouldn't give you the lecture on how I think it's not your fault. Tell me where you're headed right now and I'll take care of it. Go back to your room and rest. If I catch you outside wearing nothing but that on a Ylissean winter night again then you're in trouble."

"But sir, Phila needs to speak with me and it won't take long so I'll just-"

He crossed his arms. "No 'buts', Cordelia."

She opened her mouth but Chrom was already waving her off. "I'll go talk to Phila right now." He then turned to Sumia and smiled. "Sumia, thank you for the delicious pie, could you also make sure Cordelia returns to her room?"

The light haired brunette nodded enthusiastically. "O-Of course, Chrom. I'll see you tomorrow, take it easy, alright?"

Before Cordelia could protest again, Chrom gave her a light push towards Sumia's direction and she was quickly dragged off by the other Pegasus knight. From the corner of her eye she saw Chrom exit the kitchen and walk to where she assumed Phila was.

Needless to say, Cordelia was left speechless. She was prepared for a grave punishment for her indecent actions. Only cowards fled the battlefield and abandoned comrades and she was no coward. She was not afraid of death, she had stared it right in the face more times than she could count. Whether it was protecting her country or protecting the man she could never have - she risked her life willingly.

"I know you're having a hard time," Sumia babbled. "But I'm really happy you're back, Cordelia. It's been two years! When I heard you were going on that mission I was so envious of you! The commander only took you and the other veterans with her so I didn't even get a chance. You look so different now! Your hair has gotten so long and your face looks so much more… mature than before. "

_Of course I was gone for a long time! I was off defending our country! Risking my life!_ And somewhere along the way, she had lost her childish smiles, her innocent ideals when she received the news of her mother's death.

The scarlet haired knight remained silent as Sumia took her hand and slowly led her through the corridor to the guest's chambers. Sumia paused for a moment and looked backwards at her old friend. "I really missed you. You never sent letters and we never heard any news from you… That made me really sad, you know? My best friend since I was three years old didn't bother telling me if she was alive or not! I almost cried every time your name was mentioned in a conversation!"

A sad smile tugged on the corner of Cordelia's lips. It was all she could manage at this moment. "I'm sorry, Sumia. There was so much I had to do at the Plegian border. I had to refine my skills, keep stock and train the recruits. I didn't think I would be missed so I just kept my head buried in work."

"That's not true!" Sumia exclaimed. "Whenever I make mistakes or trip, Phila scolds me and always tells me how much better you are than me! And when I asked Fredrick to spar with me, he just scrunches his nose and tells me that compared to you, I'm hardly a challenge. Even Chrom! Chrom often asks me if you've sent any letters to me or if any messengers know your whereabouts!"

Cordelia's raised an eyebrow. Even Chrom asked about her? Perhaps he was thinking of her, just a little bit…

But she wasn't stupid. There was no reason Chrom would think about a failure like her who couldn't even perform her duty.

"I wish you returned a bit earlier," Sumia chirped as they arrived closer to the guest room. "It was my birthday a month ago, you know? You always made me a new spear. I keep all of them in my personal armory, I could never bear to break one in battle."

"Forgive me. I should have at least sent a letter."Cordelia was in no mood to talk to Sumia about such trivial things. She had forgotten her own birthday years ago.

Sumia unexpectedly looked down and blushed a deep crimson. "I-It's okay. Chrom took me into t-town and bought me this." She gestured at the pink wing shaped ribbon at the back of her hair. "My old one ripped and he knew how much I loved it so he bought me an exact one except it's pink!"

There was a silence. Cordelia's expression remained even.

She was relieved Sumia hadn't seen her wear the wing hairpins Chrom had given her for her eighteenth birthday. That would have led to an unpleasant conversation.

Cordelia smirked. _So he gave her one, too._

"It's beautiful, Sumia. I didn't know you got along so well with Chrom. You used to be so self-conscious around him."

The light brunette ducked her head and her blush spread to her ears. "W-Well, I was only conscious of him because y-you always told me how wonderful he was s-so I never thought he'd never give me a second look b-but ever since I joined the Shepherds, he has been the most kind to me. And... you were gone so long, I didn't think you'd ever come back."

There was a pause and Sumia took a deep breath. Her blush was still painfully apparent but there was a confident spark in her eyes now.

Sumia lifted her head to meet Cordelia's ruby eyes.

"I'm in love with Chrom," she declared, in the bravest tone Cordelia had ever heard come from the small girl.

Her confession was met with a stunned silence.

"T-That's wonderful," Cordelia whispered, breathlessly. "I-I…"

"I know you're in love with Chrom."

Ruby eyes widened.

Sumia smiled but her eyes were filled with grief. "Cordelia, you mean so much to me… But I… I love Chrom _so much._ I-I'm sorry…"

More silence.

"Cordelia?"

The scarlet knight snapped out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine, Sumia. You're mistaken, I am Chrom's knight, not his lover. My duty is to protect him not to coddle him."

Sumia still looked at her worriedly, unconvinced.

"I am not feeling well," Cordelia told her, a cold smile plastered on her face. "It's been a long day for me and I really must be getting some rest." She opened the door to her room, relived that Lissa and Fredrick were gone. "Goodnight, Sumia."

"Uh, goodn-"

Cordelia hastily slammed the door shut.

Oh, her mind was an absolute mess! As if witnessing the death of all her friends today wasn't enough! The Gods must be laughing at her, throwing her all things miserable at once.

And Sumia…

Of course the girl was in love with Chrom. She had known Sumia would fall for him sooner or later, who didn't? It didn't matter who came up to him, Chrom was so oblivious he didn't notice it half the time.

_I'm not mad. I'm not jealous._

_Sumia would make a great wife and future queen. She loves the people, she's a strong fighter, she cares for Chrom more than any woman in the world, she-_

Oh, who was she kidding.

Cordelia was outraged that Sumia had fallen in love with Chrom. But she wasn't mad at her… No, not at Sumia who had done nothing but fall in love.

She was mad at herself.

_Sumia decided to pursue her love for Chrom._

_While I ran away foolishly, knowing Chrom would never look twice at someone like me._

_I chose my duty. Sumia chose love._

Cordelia clutched her thumping heart.

What's the point of having too much heart if she couldn't even follow it?

* * *

My first Fanfic! This was written because I really thought that Cordelia deserved a support with Chrom, considering all of her other supports are about her unrequited love for him. She really reminds me of the Fire Emblem Blazing Sword character, Fiora, who also joins the party after her squadron is eliminated.

Please leave a review! I would love to know if you liked or hated the story and what I could improve on!


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